


Lost in Translation

by Proudmoore



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Reader Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-26 23:02:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16690609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Proudmoore/pseuds/Proudmoore
Summary: You help teach Uhura a language she hasn't picked up on yet.





	Lost in Translation

The first time you’d caught Nyota Uhura staring at you was when you’d been deep in a discussion over one of your favorite book series.  You’d been jogging on a treadmill alongside one of your fellow security officers and discussing the scandals in the house Lannister.  The Game of Thrones series was a classic, and you absolutely adored talking about it with anyone who would listen, so to have found someone who was just as big a fan of the series as you was a dream come true.

As the two of you had discussed the books, you’d shot a question at your coworker.  It had been completely innocuous, but it hadn’t been in English. You had asked how she felt about the Dothraki, only you hadn’t asked in English.  It was at that moment that you’d noticed Uhura’s gaze drift over to you from where she was clipping away on her own treadmill, but you hadn’t thought much of it.  
  
The second time you’d noticed her watching you had been in the commissary.  You’d just joined your co-worker at a table for lunch and you’d asked them how their meal was in Dothraki, earning yourself a response in kind.  You’d wondered why Uhura had been staring at you, but you’d never connected the dots.  Shrugging it off, you continued with your meal, chatting amiably with your fellow redshirt and brushing off Nyota’s glances without a second thought.  
  
You’d noticed her staring again and again, and even though there was a common thread to all of the encounters, you’d never once considered it.  You’d just assumed that perhaps she had a habit of staring off into space, and that her gaze just happened to fall on you when she was doing so.  
  
All of those moments are long forgotten as you finish a pre-shift workout, parting ways with your co-worker and heading toward the ladies’ locker room.  You step inside and quickly shuck out of your clothes, heading for the showers with a towel wrapped around you.  As you approach the stalls, one of them swings open and Uhura steps out, leveling her gaze on you.  
  
“That language I’ve heard you speaking to Ensign Shaw,” she says without preamble.  “What is it?”  
  
You pause for a moment, confused, and then it  _clicks_.  Smiling, you shrug your shoulders.  
  
“ _Jinak lekh_?”  You ask brightly.  
  
Her gaze hardens a little as she tries to work through what you’ve said, but you can tell she’s getting nowhere.  
  
“I’ve tried running it through the translator but it doesn’t register,” she continues.  
  
“No, I don’t suppose it would,” you muse. “It’s a fictional language.”  
  
She raises an eyebrow at your words, seemingly intrigued, and tilts her head.  
  
“I’ve heard of Elvish and Na’vi,” she mentions. “But I can’t place this one.”  
  
You can tell she’d love to know more about it, and you don’t blame her, what with her specialization in xenolinguistics, and you reach out to put a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeeze before moving to step around her and into a shower stall.  
  
“Meet me in the lounge after Alpha tonight,” you offer.  “I’ll tell you all about it.”  
  
Uhura eyes you curiously once more and agrees with a nod, her face brightening with a small smile.  
  
“I look forward to it,” she agrees and disappears into the locker room’s main area with a final wave over her shoulder.  
  
With a smile, you turn away and head into the shower, feeling excited for the later rendezvous.  You’ve always wanted to befriend the lieutenant but you’ve never had the opportunity before and you’re glad for the chance now.  You finish showering quickly and make your way into the locker room proper, pulling on your uniform and making your way to the security offices.  
  
Your shift passes by quickly, if uneventfully, and before long you find yourself heading for the officers’ lounge still clad in your reds and carrying a copy of the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire saga.  
  
Stepping into the lounge you find it rather empty aside from a couple of nurses from med bay and a relaxed-looking Keenser listening to some music in the corner, undoubtedly waiting for Scotty. Wandering around, you pick a spot at a small table in the corner and set your book down, heading for the replicator to pour two cups of tea.  You consider your options and settle on a rooibos blend that won’t keep you up all night. Taking the mugs in hand, you return to the table and seat yourself just as Uhura walks into the room.  
  
You wave her over with a friendly smile and gesture for her to take a seat as you push the book across the table toward her. She glances down at it as you take a sip of your tea and picks it up, turning it over in her hands, reading the summary on the back page.  It’s an ancient book – an honest to goodness paperback – but it’s in good condition, and you continue to observe her as she flips to the map of Westeros inside the front cover.  
  
“I’ve heard of this series,” she says without preamble.  “Though I’ve never had a chance to read it.  This is where that language is from.”  
  
It’s not a question, and you nod as she glances up at you again.  
  
“It’s called Dothraki,” you explain. “It’s the language of the Dothraki people.  They’re a group of nomadic, equestrian warriors with a rich culture and a language with a near-complete set of rules, enabling anyone who cares to learn it to carry on full conversations.  It’s kind of like Tolkien’s Elvish that way, though not quite as polished.”  
  
She nods, setting the book back down and taking a sip of her own tea.  
  
“I loved learning Elvish,” Nyota admits. “I picked it up in my spare time back in grade school.  It’s part of the reason I pursued linguistic studies.”  
  
“Well I’m sure you’d love Dothraki, too,” you affirm.  “You can borrow the book, if you’d like.”  
  
“I’d love that,” Nyota agrees.  “And I’d like it even more if you could teach me some of the basics.  Learning a new language is always more fun with friends.”  
  
You blush a little, squealing inwardly at her words.  You’ve admired her for a long time and you’ve wanted to be friends with her since the first time you’d seen her at the academy, and now that you’ve opened a dialogue and she’s expressing interest in a new friendship, you’re really excited.  
  
“Absolutely,” you say with a nod.  “I don’t know how good an instructor I’ll make, but I’m happy to try!”  
  
“Why don’t you teach me something now?” She asks.  “How about a traditional greeting?”  
  
You consider her request for a moment and nod.  
  
“ _M’ath_!   _Hash yer dothrae chek asshekh_?”  You intone clearly.  
  
Uhura echoes your words perfectly, her accent crisp, the phrase rolling off of her tongue like she’d been speaking Dothraki from childhood.  You grin and nod.  
  
“It means something along the lines of  _hello,_ _how are you today_?”  You explain. “It literally translates to _with respect_ ,  _do you ride well today_?”  
  
Uhura is intrigued by the idiom and she leans forward a bit, making herself comfortable and sipping from her tea mug before asking you more about the language.  You readily and happily oblige her, answering questions and offering more information as the minutes begin to turn to hours.  
  
The lounge that has filled up around you eventually begins to empty once again as the hours draw later and the two of you sit nursing your third cup each of tea, its taste like caramel and honey. Uhura looks down into the reddish pool in her mug and smiles.  
  
“Where I come from, rooibos grows wild everywhere,” she muses.  “My grandmother used to make us tea from fresh leaves she harvested herself.”  
  
“That sounds lovely,” you say softly.  
  
“Are you kidding me?”  Uhura says with a laugh.  “We hated it.  The heat of the noontime sun was enough to make us crazy, we didn’t need hot tea making it worse.  We drank it anyway – you never said no to grandmother.”  
  
You laugh at the wistful, faraway look on her face as she recalls her childhood.  Your laughter slowly dies down to a soft chuckle and before you know it turns to a yawn.  Shaking yourself off a little, you glance at your chron and gasp.  
  
“I should have been in bed an hour ago,” you groan, already calculating exactly how much sleep you’ll be able to get if you doze off the second your head hits your pillow when you get back to your quarters. “This has been so much fun, but I really should get going.”  
  
Nyota chuckles softly and nods.  
  
“I’ve got the day off tomorrow, but I’d be happy to bring a coffee by your quarters before your shift as a thank you for the lesson,” she says warmly.  
  
“Don’t worry yourself!”  You insist.  “Sleep in, take it easy.  Besides, it was my pleasure.”  
  
“Well, I’d love to do it again some time,” she says brightly.  
  
You grin as you push the book toward her, collecting both of your mugs from the table.  
  
“I’d like that,” you agree.  “You can hold onto the book in the meantime, have a read through.”  
  
“Thank you,” Uhura says softly, picking up the book and pushing her chair out from the table, getting to her feet.  “I’ll see you tomorrow; we can compare schedules.”  
  
You nod and rise as well, picking up the mugs to set aside for cleaning.  
  
“ _Athdavrazar_ ,” you say crisply.  “ _Dothras chek_!”  
  
Uhura chuckles and gives it a try, too.  
  
“ _Dothras chek_ ,” she echoes, the words perfectly accented and intoned.  
  
Holding your book to her chest, she waves with her free hand and takes her leave, leaving you to clear up and make your own way off to bed.  You’re energized by the exchange, though, and you can’t help but grin to yourself as you walk the corridors, excitement for your next girls’ night filling you already.  
  
If the evening is anything to judge by, it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship.


End file.
